I love your last point about having lots of kids and a stay-at-home spouse. My father was career military, retiring as a major (O5). We had no money problems when I was growing up, even with a SAHM, as there was only 2 kids. However, when my father remarried after my mom died, we ended up with a blended family of 4…

Money management IS taught, multiple times throughout your career actually. Even more so if you hold a clearance.

Oh, we make very good money, he's always made very good money (it's better money when I have a job, which isn't always possible), I roll my eyes when I hear officers complaining about being broke. If you're an 03 or above then you're upper middle class and are just bad with money if you're in debt.

E-5's with dependents make $30K a year PLUS at least $12k for housing in someplace like Ft. Rucker. That's not counting how many other benefits they get and how much of it is tax-free. I don't have any particular dislike of military men (I'm married to one), but don't pretend they are poor. Then there's the…

That is exactly how my brother ended up buying a car he wasn't able to actually drive on base because it turned out to have, like, all these illegal upgrades and wouldn't pass inspections.

Considering that the ranks of the U.S. military are essentially filled by an economic draft, this is not surprising.

I'm planning a big event for work that needs multiple entertainment nights, and one of the employees in my office suggested a puppy party. I had a good laugh, but what a great idea. Puppy parties for everyone!

Don't avoid him or act weird, maybe just spend a little less time with him. Do avoid these late night conversations though, you don't want to do anything you would regret. It sounds like you are attracted to him, too (I could have misread) so maybe just be aware of that and don't let your feelings get the better of…

Well, in that case just keep things on a strictly "friends" level when it comes to your interactions. If you feel things moving into that more personal realm (you mentioned the late night conversations), just be careful how far you take things. I know if it was me, there are things I'd only tell to someone I was…

I know a lot of us, particularly those of us who suffer from depression, had a very tough week last week. I have a feeling that next week will be better—I mean, it has to be, right?

Ding ding ding. This is a correlation, not a causation. Obsessively following celebrity culture is probably indicative of pre-existing outlooks.

Unsolicited book recommendation time: I just started a book called, "Soldier Girls" by Helen Thorpe and it's so great. Anything with a military angle is usually difficult for me to connect with because I just don't know that much about it, but the context in this book is gripping. Basically it's about three different…

Ok, not sure if anyone will see this, but: I'm moving to DC in a few days! Yay! But I am coming from overseas and I'm nervous to be in a city that I've never been to before and where I know no one. DC people, please reassure me that it's a great place to live and I'm not making a really bad decision?

My then-18 month old brother once summoned half of the city's police department (we lived in a pretty small city), plus a SWAT team, to our house because he'd managed to pull a chair up to the security panel and started pressing buttons, activating the house's panic alarm. They came up to the front door, guns drawn,…

Not food related, but my favorite of my own dumb criminal experiences was when I worked at Best Buy many moons ago. I worked in the Home Theater department and the register for that department was in what we nicknamed the "dark alley" of the store — it was set all the way in the back corner and surrounded by large TV…

Monogamy is a perfectly acceptable lifestyle if both partners agree to it. Reneging on an agreement like that without telling your partner should be considered shameful.

I believe his official title is "Dr. Fedora., PhD, Esq, SMH"

I just want to be clear on the selection bias. They're using ONLY data from people that cheat to say monogamy is a failure FOR EVERYONE. Isn't that a bit like using interviews with atheists to "prove" about how organized religion is a massive failure? I'm not defending either institution, but using those who have…

This is gross of them (of course) but I always assume on sites like this that they are spying on everyone, particularly if the service is free or cheap. In those cases, the dating service is not the product—the users are—and their information is being sold to advertisers.

"That sounds pretty bad ..."